1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a gas-dispensing device and installation.
The invention relates more specifically to a gas-dispensing device for connecting a plurality of pressurized gas sources sequentially to a user, the device consisting of a housing provided with a plurality of gas inlets intended to be connected to respective gas sources and an outlet intended to be connected to a user member, a dispensing member selectively movable relative to the body into distinct dispensing positions permitting each inlet to be brought into communication selectively and in turn with the outlet, while the other inlets are isolated from the outlet.
2. Related Art
Industrial applications, in particular those which utilize gaseous hydrogen, comprise a gas-dispensing system connected to one or a plurality of pressurized reservoirs.
For example, in certain applications which utilize hydrogen as an energy carrier, a plurality of pressurized hydrogen reservoirs may be connected in parallel to a fuel cell. Emptying of the reservoirs takes place sequentially, that is to say one after the other.
The majority of the existing installations utilize inversion control units permitting one reservoir to be emptied in relation to the other, as preferred. These control units typically comprise two regulators mounted in parallel and controlled at two different detent pressures. The reservoir connected to the line containing the regulator that is controlled at the highest detent pressure then empties first. These inversion control units are adapted to the case of two reservoirs being connected to the application. The safety gas cut-off function is assured downstream by a solenoid valve in the common circuit.
To mitigate the consequences of a fire, it is possible to install a thermal fuse in each line, upstream of the inversion control unit.
In the case where more than two reservoirs are connected in parallel, the inversion control units must be replaced by other devices. For example, a previously disclosed system utilizes a bayonet consisting of the same number of solenoid valves as there are reservoirs connected in parallel to the same user outlet. An automated control assures the opening sequences of the solenoid valves as a function of the reservoir to be emptied. In order to protect the reservoirs from the fire via a heat-sensitive discharge valve (thermal fuse in particular), it is then necessary to install such a valve in each line (in addition to each solenoid valve).
These installations call for a large number of valves and fuses as well as a programming logic for the automated control of the entire system. This architecture is costly and not very compact and increases the probability of unwanted actuations of the fuses.